Combined coin-controlled weighing-scale



No. 624,5!8. Patented May 9, I899.

G. G. S. MERRY. COMBINED COIN CONTROLLED WEIGHING SCALE, GRIP, ANDLIFTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 29, 1898.) (No Model.) 5 sheets sheet I.

INVBNTURi No. 624,5l8. Patented May 9, I899. G. G. S. MERRY. COMBINEDOOIN CONTROLLED WEIGHING SCALE, GRIP, AND LIFTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 29, 1898.) (No Model.) 5 SheetsShaet 2.

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mi. s24,5|a. Patented May 9, I899. a. a. s. MERRY. COMBINED COINCONTROLLED WEIGHING SCALE, GRIP, AND LIFTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 29, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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No. s24,5|a. Patented May 9,1999. 9. 9. s. mznnv.

CONBINEO COIN CONTROLLED WEICHINC SCALE, GRIP, ANO LIFTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 99, 189B.)

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No. 624,5l8. Patented May 9,- 1899..

G. G. S. MERRY. GOIBINED COIN BONTBDLLED WEIGI'IING SCALE, GRIP, ANDLIFTING MACHINE.

(Avplicltion fllod Aug. 99, 1898.)

(No Model.) 5 Shouts-Shoat 5.

l llllllllllllllllllllllll lll UNITED STATES PATENT O FIc GEORGE G. S.MERRY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AU- TOMATIC WVEIGHING,LIFTING, AND GRIP MACHINE COMPANY, OF PORT- LAND, MAINE.

COMBINED COIN-CONTROLLED WEIGHING-SCALE, GRI P, AND LIFTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,518, dated May 9,1899.

. Application filed August 29,1898. Serial No. 689,727. (No model.)

T aZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE G. S. MERRY, of Boston, in the county ofSufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in a Combined Coin-Controlled \VeighingScale, Grip, andLifting Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a coin-released [o weighing-scale mechanismand devices incombination therewith whereby in the same scalecase andwith the same dial or index gripping and lifting strength tests may bemade and indicated, these last two functions being accom plished byamechanism released bya coin from a single chute, and said mechanismoperatingin turn portions of the weighing mechanism sufficiently toindicate the gripping and lifting power in suitable units. Each of thedevices may be operated independently, yet the weighing mechanism is thebase for the operation of the others.

The invention has for its object to provide improvements in theconstruction and opera- 2 tion of machines suchas that described in ILetters Patent of the United States No. (510,766, granted to meSeptember 13, 1898.

The nature and operation of the device will be understood by thoseconversant with such matters from the following description.

, Of the drawings accompanying this specification, Figure 1 represents aperspective view of my improved combination-machine. Fig. 2 represents afront elevation of the parts inside the case in the upper portionthereof, this view being a section taken just behind the dial. Fig. 3represents asectional view taken at right angles to the section in Fig.2. Fig. 4 represents a front elevation of the parts iminediatelyconcerned in the weighing operations of the machine. Fig. 5 representsan enlarged sectional view of parts shown in Fig. 3, taken on the lineof the operating shaft or spindle. Fig. 6 represents adetail plan viewof parts shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 represents an enlarged front elevationof parts having to do with the lifting and gripping operations of themachine. Fig. 8 represents a detail elevation of one end of the registeremployed in the machine.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

Referring to the drawings, a is the case of the machine,which is of thegeneral form common to machines of this class and has the platform I),mounted on the ordinary tilting beam, '(not shown,) which connects withthe index mechanism by a rod 1), as is customary in all I machines ofthis kind. -On the front of the case-head is adial 0, so spaced andnumbered that the needle or pointer 0 may indicate through tworevolutions. On one side of the case is a coin-chute a for operating theweighing mechanism, and on the other side of the case is a secondcoin-chute a for operating the lifting and gripping mechanisms. Insideof the case is a frame (1 for supporting the operating mechanism.

I will first describe the weighing mechanism proper, which is best shownin Fig. 4.

At the upper end of the rod 1), on the stud b is pivoted anequalizing-bar b to which are attached the lower ends of two helicalsprings 1) b the upper ends of these latter being attached to a secondequalizing-bar b pivoted at b to a lever 29. Said lever is pivoted at bto the case and is provided with an adjusting-screw b whereby a Verydelicate adjustment of the springs may be attained. There is journaledin the frame at a sectional shaft ee, whose outer section ecarries theindex-finger c. On the rear end of this shaft is secured a pinion f,which gears with a vertical rack f, guided between rollers f f At thelower end of the rack is a downwardly-extending rod f .having a resilient connection with the rack f by means of the spring f. The rearsection 6 of the central shaft or spindle is normally locked by means ofa dog f pivoted on a stud f and 0 having a tooth f which engages eitherone 'of' two teeth f f formed on adisk j", which is secured to the shafte.

When a person steps on the platform of the scale to be weighed, the barI) is depressed 5 and the springs 19 are distended an amountproportional to the weight of the person. The rod has adjustablyattached to it by means of screws b Z2 a shelf or bracket b This bracketupon the depression of the rod I00 b retreats from the lower end of thebar f this latter and the rack f being sustained by the locking of thedog f and disk 1. The person then deposits a coin in the chute a, andsaid coin falls and strikes against a trip f pivoted at f to the frameI), and carrying a counterbalancing-weightf The coin passes the trip f"and in doing so raises its right-hand end, Fig. 4:. The latter .isoffset at f, and the offset portion takes under an extension f of thedog f fore raised as the coin passes the trip and the shaft is released.The rack f then falls by gravity until the lowerend ofthe rodf strikesagainst the shelf 11 the springf yielding to the impact. The dial-handis therefore caused to move around the dial and indicate the weight ofthe person.

f is a lever pivoted atf to the frame and carrying. at its forward end.three pivoted pawls f and at its rear end a counterbalancing-weight f.The left or pawl end of this lever is normaily held in a raised positionby means of a plate 1;,adj ustably mounted on the upper end of the rodI)". hen said rod is depressed, the lever f loses its support, and itsleft end falls upon the end of a short lever f pivoted at f to theframe. The latter is connected by a wire or cord f with a secondtrip-leverf located at the extreme lowerend of the coin-chute. Thissecond trip is pivoted at f' in a bracket a inside the case a andcarries a counterbalancingweight f. In the time taken by the coin topass from the upper trip f to the lower trip f the dial-hand has come torest at a point which indicates the weight of the person, and thepassage of the coin past the tripf lifts the right-hand end of the leverf causing the lever f to be released and allowing the pawlsf to fallagainst the periphery of a toothed or ratchet wheel f secured on theshaft-section c. This looks the said shaftsection against furtherrotation in either direction. The trip-leverf being heaviest at itsinner end tends to assume the normal position illustrated in Fig. 4,with said end slightly overlapped by the end of the pawlleverf Thelatter, when unsupported by the plate I), rests on the leverf" until thepassage of the coin tilts the latter and raises its inner end, causingthe end of pawl-lever f to slip by said lever f and permitting thepawl-lever to drop until its pawls engage the toothed'wheel f. The en dof the pawl-lever is then underneath the end of leverf The pawlsf arepivoted in an offset portion of the lever 1", as represented in Fig. 5,and

their free ends are normally supported by a stop-pin f in said offsetportion. hen the lever falls, its offset portion rests against the topedge of the frame (1, and the free ends of the pawls are slightly raisedby engagement with the toothed wheel f one or more of said pawls restingbetween the teeth of said wheel. The pawl-leverf when again raised bythe plate I) on the scale-rod b, slips past The dog is therethe end ofthe trip-lever f slightly elevat- I ing the same in so doing, and theparts reassume their normal position. (Illustrated in Fig. 4.)

Thejobject of providing a plurality of pawls f is to insure an immediateengagementwith the ratchet-wheel f since if only one pawl were employedit might rest on the top of a ratchet-tooth and fail to perform itslocking function properly.

The shaft-section c remains locked until the person steps off thescale-platform and allows the plate Z) to rise and elevate thepawl-supporting lever f. The dial-hand c is then returned to thezero-point by means of a light spring f, supported by a fixed standard fand connected with a cord f which winds around the forward section 0 ofthe shaft. As the rod Z) rises to its normal position thespring-tensioned rod f is forced upwardly, compressingits spring f untilthe shaft 6 is'unlocked, when the rack f returns to its normal positionby the force of said spring, and the dog f falls into place over theteeth f and locks the shaft.

The sectional shaft mechanism is organized as follows: The opposed endsof the sections e c'are provided with iixed collars c 6 and adjacent tosaid collars are loose collars 6 e Behind the loose collar 0 on thesection 6 is a loose sleeve 9. The loose collar 6 has'aforwardly-projecting horizontal pin c engaginga radial pin 0 on thefixed collar 6 of the shaft'section e, and the fixed collar oftheshaft-section c has a radial pin a engaging the pin ei' The sleeve g hasa horizontal pin 6" engaging the pin 6 and also a pin 6 mounted on theloose collar 8 The latter has a pin 6 engaging a stop-pin 6 It will benoted that this arrangement permits the dial-finger o to have tworevolutions, due to a rotation of the sleeve g, before being stopped bythe fixed pin 0, for when the sleeve starts to revolve the pin 6 andwith it the pointer are carried around and the front end of the pin 6comes around behind the pin 6 and engages. the same after a completerevolution of the parts. The collar (2 may then be carried around foranother complete revolution until finally the limit is reached by thepin 6 striking against the fixed pin 6 The sleeve g is provided with apinion g, which gears with a vertical rack 9 The latterv is held in aswinging frame g pivoted on a stud 9 being guided in its verticalmovement by rollers g g 9 On the lower end of the rack is pivoted at g apawl 9 having stops g g to limit its motion. When the lower end of therack g is moved to the right, this pawl engages with teeth formed on aratchet-bar 9 the latter being mounted to slide between rcilers g" andattached at its lower end to a bracket 12 on the rod Z). The pawl g isnormally held out of engagement with said ratchet-bar by means of alever g, pivoted at g to the frame d and notched at g to engage theupper end of the pivotal frame When said lever g is raised to releasethe frame g a spring g draws the latter to the right, so as to bring thepawl 9 into engagement with the ratchet-bar Q12.

At the base of the case a is pivoted a bracket j, adapted to swinghorizontally out over the scale-platform b and carrying at its outer enda handlej, mounted at the top of a screwspindlej By screwing thisspindleinto or out of its socket in the end of the bracketj the handlejmay be raised or lowered to suit the convenience of the operator. Theeffect of pulling up on the handle j, which is fixed relatively to thecase ct, is to increase the pressure on the scale-platform I) over thatdue to the weight of the operator. When a person steps on the platformto determine his lifting strength, the bar Z) and with it theratchet-bar g are depressed a certain distance. In order then to releasethe lifting mechanism, the person deposits a coin in the right-handchute a and the same falls down the chute and displaces a triplever g,which is pivoted at g to the frame (7, and is pro- -vided on anextension Q21 with a counterbalancing-weight Such movement of the trip graises the lever 9 releasing the frame g and causing the engagement ofthe pawl g with the ratchet-teeth g. The person as soon as he depositsthe coin grasps the handle g and pulls up thereon to determine hisstrength. This causes a depression of the platform I) and the rod withits ratchet-bar 9 and as a consequence the rack g is depressed and thepinion g and a sleeve g rotated. The said sleeve 9 being in engagement,as previously described, with the front section e of the central shaftcauses the latter and the pointer c to revolve and indicate the liftingstrength of the person. In order to keep the indicator of the dial-handat the farthest point reached and not allow it to return, I provide abrake consisting of a roll Q22, (see Fig. 7,) confined between the frontboss of the sleeve g and a cross-piece cl on the frame (1, said rollbeing further retained by a removable screw (1 This roll allows thesleeve g to rotate freely in a forward direction; but should the latterreverse its movement the roll becomes wedged in the tapering recessformed between the sleeve 9 and the cross-piece cl and prevents thereverse rotation of said sleeve. The dial-hand therefore stays at thehighest point reached until the person steps off the platform. WVhen hedoes so, the ratchet-bar 9 rises and a pin g thereon engages the freeend of a lever g pivoted at 9 to the frame. Said lever g carries a hookor staple which takes under the roll Q22 and lifts the same a slightdistance, as represented in Fig. 7, thus allowing the sleeve 9 toreverse its rotation. The-sleeve is returned to its initial position bymeans of a spring Q27, supported by a fixed standard Q28 and attached toa cord g, which winds around the sleeve. At the lower end of rack g fromits engagement with the ratchetbar Q12 when the operator ceases to lifton the handle j, for the ratchet-segment being eccentrically pivotedwith its longest radius at the lower corner a relative upward movementof the ratchet-bar with respect to the rack g will cause this ratchet--segment Q30 to turn on its pivot and force the pawl g out of engagementwith the ratchetteeth A continuation of the upward movement of theratchet-bar brings the upper end of. the frame 9 into line with thenotch g in the pivoted arm 9 and the latter engages and holds saidframe, as shown in Fig. 7. It is hence apparent that the operator willhaveto exert a steadylifting force in order to test his full strength,since any cessation of pull willcause the mechanism to cease toregister.

2' is a register mounted inside the case and constructed to register thetotal number of coins deposited in the machine. It has a ratchet-wheel ion the end of its spindle and an actuating-pawl 1' mounted on a pivotedblock, which has an arm 1' extending into the coin-chute a'and adaptedto be displaced by coins falling therethrough, and alsoan arm 2' engagedby a lower extension of the trip 9, whereby the register is operated bycoins falling through the chute a The grip-testing mechanism formingpart of the machine is operated by means of a handle 72, rigidly mountedata convenient height on the outside of the case a, and a grip h, havinggi'iiding-legs which extend inside the case. On the upper one of saidlegs is mounted an adjustable block h abutting against a spring 71 Thesaid block is connected by a strap h, passing overa guide-pulley h, withthe lower end of a connecting-rod h, which connects with a verticalsliding rod I1 suitably guided in the frame and normally held in raisedposition bymeans of a spring h interposed between a collar h on the topof the rod and a lug d on the frame. This rod It has a conical lower endh adapted to engage a conical depression 9 formed in a lug g extendinglaterally from the lower end of the rack 9 Normally the rod 72, is freeto move up and down without encountering the lug 9 so that a persongrasping the handle it and grip h will force the latter inwardly withoutoperating the index; but when a coin is deposited in the chute a thepivotal frame g is released, as before described, and the lower end ofthe rack g is drawn to the right. This brings the conical depression 9underneath the lower end of the rod h and then when the operatoractuates the grip the said rod h in moving downwardly engages the lugand draws the rack g downwardly, so

as to rotate the dial-hand and give an indication of the personsgripping strength. The strength of the spring 71 is made such as toindicate the grip in units corresponding to those marked on the dial. itis a detent pivoted at h in a collar h flwhich is secured on the rod 71This detent in moving downwardly when the rod engages the lug yields topass a stud g on the frame g being turned on its pivot as it passes thestud, and then reassu ming a horizontal position. If the tension. of thegrip is released, the rod 77, moves upwardly with respect to the frame gand its rack, and the detenth being constructed to act rigidly againstthe stud g in this movement displaces the lower end of the frame glaterallyand brings its upper end into engagement with the notch g inthe arm g It will be noted that when a coin is deposited in the chute aboth the lifting and gripping mechanisms are put into operativecondition, so that either the one or the other may be operated at thechoice of the person on the scale-platform.

It is necessary to stand on the platform of the machine when thegripping mechanism is operated, since otherwise the brake-roll Q22 willnot act, and hence the dial-hand will immediately return when thepressure is released instead of staying at the highest point reached.

I claim- 1. In a coin-controlled weighing-scale, the combination withthe shaft carrying the toothed wheel f coin-released means normallylocking said shaft, and means for locking said shaft after rotation,comprising the lever f carrying a plurality of pivoted pawls 0 f adaptedto engage the toothed wheel, and

a coin-actuated member adapted to operate said lever and allow the pawlsto fall upon said toothed wheel.

2. In a coin-controlled weighing-scale, the combination of theindex-shaft, coin-released means for normally locking said shaft, alooking member for locking said shaft after rotation,the lever f 19adapted to sustain said locking member, the coin-actuated trip f and theconnection f between said trip and the lever f ,whereby the latter ismoved to release the locking-lever upon the passage of a com.

3. In a machine of the class described, an index-shaft andcoin-controlled actuating mechanism therefor, in combination with thefriction-brake roll 9 the releasing-lever Q23, and the spring-scalemechanism carrying a part for engaging the lever and releasing the brakeat a predetermined pointin the passage of said part.

4. In a machine of the class described, the spring-scale mechanismcarrying the ratchetbar, an index, a sliding rackadapted to actuate saidshaft and having a pawl adapted to engage the ratchet-bar, a swingingframe carrying the rack, a spring normally actuating the frame in adirection to cause engagement between rack and ratchet-bar, acoinoperated latch for holding the two out of engagement, and a membercarried on the lower end of the rack and adapted to be moved by theretraction of the ratchet-bar, so as to automatically disengage saidrack and ratchetbar and latch the former.

5. In a machine of the class described, a reciprocating main ratchet, areciprocating secondary ratchet, an index, an oscillatory sliding rackadapted to actuate said index and carrying a member which engages themain ratchet when said rack is oscillated; and a ratchet-segment pivotedeccentrically 011 the rack and adapted to engage the secondary ratchetand to be rotated by the traverse of the latter so as to disengage themember on the rack from the main ratchet.

6. In a machine of the class described, the grip-actuated sliding bar,incombination with the swinging frame carrying the shaft-actuating rack,the coin-operated latch therefor, means for producing engagement betweenthe sliding bar and the rackwhen said frame is unlatched, and meansoperated by the retraction of the bar for disengaging said bar and rack.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE G. S. MERRY.

\Vitnesses:

O. F. BROWN, E. BATCHELDER.

